I called it suffocating. My parents, with
their firm smiles and carefully laid plans, wanted me to follow in my father's
footsteps as a banker. But I've always been drawn to a different rhythm, one I
couldnt seem to find in Optville's tidy routines.A year ago, I finally broke free. I packed up my few belongings and boarded the soot-blackened train to Irnscher, the sprawling industrial heart of the region. They call Irnscher a living beast, and they're not wrong. The city breathes coal smoke and sweats grease, its massive factories and whirring machines never pausing, not even when the moon stains the smoggy sky silver.
To most dragons, Irnscher is harsh and unwelcoming, a place to endure rather than embrace. But to me, it was love at first sight. There is a beauty in its chaos, in the clash of metal-on-metal and the fiery glow of the furnaces that never sleep. The jagged skyline, with its towering smokestacks and tangled wires, feels alive in a way Optville never did.
I moved into a tiny apartment above a steam tram station. On my first night, sitting among my unpacked boxes and staring out at the glowing city, I felt something new: possibility. I was no longer playing by anyones rules but mine. And that's when something unexpected happened - I started going barefoot everywhere.
It began as a whim. One morning, I stepped out of my apartment without my boots, and the rough cobblestones greeted me with a strange, electric sensation. Irnschers streets are filthy cracked and slick with coal dust, littered with jagged metal scraps and the occasional oily puddle. Yet somehow, I loved how alive the city felt beneath my feet. Instead of being repulsed by the grit and grime, I found myself curious about it. Every uneven surface, every patch of soot or smear of grease, seemed to whisper a story about the city's heartbeat.
Of course, most dragons in Irnscher think I am mad. This is a city where even the air itself feels heavy with dirt, where boots are as much a survival tool as goggles for the coal-stack workers. But I don't mind the stares. For me, barefoot living isn't just about rejecting shoes its about rejecting detachment. Irnscher might be filthy and unpolished, but it's
real, and I want
to feel every inch of it. I am even barefoot at winter at subzero temperature! By the way, that photo is the very first time I was walking barefoot at such cold, I would probably write an article about that. Beyond my feet, my claws have another way of exploring Irnscher: through drawing. I've always been fascinated by landscapes, but it wasnt until came here that I found my true muse. The city is a tangle of lines and shadows, a never-ending composition of crumbling brick walls, spiraling smokestacks, and iron bridges arching over canals streaked black with coal dust. I spend hours perched on rooftops or crouched in alleyways, sketching the strange poetry of the urban jungle. I love capturing the way light filters through the smog, turning even pollution into something almost magical. Take a look in a Gallery!
Recently, I've started the Barepaw dragons Society. It's just a small group for now (and you on site of it), but I have found several friends already. It's not for everyone of course, but for those who join, its more than just taking off your boots. Its about rediscovering the ground beneath us, even in a city as dirty and chaotic as Irnscher. Maybe, just maybe, we can remind this industrial world that there is still something raw and beautiful worth feeling step by step. So feel welcome at my page, I would be happy to befriend you!